Soar
by lezonne
Summary: Draco always enjoyed taunting Hermione about one thing; flying. She's tired of his jokes and negativity, and decides to take matters into her own hands, even if it does possibly involve giving him a heart attack. Eighth year. Boot camps inside! Implied romance


Written for the _Favorite Hogwarts House Boot Camp _prompt number 6: Astronomy Tower.

Written for the _Favorite Character Boot Camp _prompt number 13: Midnight.

Written for the _OTP Boot Camp Challenge _prompt number 26: Nonplussed.

Written for the _Character Diversity Boot Camp _prompt number 8: Flying

Written for the _Favorite Era Boot Camp _prompt number 37: Cloud.

* * *

Hermione Granger was second to _no-one_ academically. She ruled the school with her grades, her nose sitting inside a book during the sports games sometimes. She was a hoarder of knowledge, bested by none. If there was something she didn't yet know, then by-golly, she was going to figure it out!

However, one thing still eluded her. And that very thing was currently the thing that she really wanted to learn. Her enemy taunted her about it a lot recently after re-discovering her fear of heights. Back in school for their seventh year she ended up with Malfoy as the Head Boy, meaning that she got to spend a lot of unwanted time with him. So, more or less, he was really on her last nerve.

And Malfoy knew exactly how to get under her skin. He came second to her in nearly everything, always just a few points below her excellent grades. But when it came to physical work, like Quidditch, or even _flying_, he could beat her with his eyes shut.

It was annoying that he liked to hold it against her. As Head's they got to do lots of demonstrations for the younger students who were wary after the war. And a lot of demonstrating meant a lot of time with the Head Boy, meaning a lot of eye-rolling time for Hermione.

If his ego were any bigger, it wouldn't fit inside his head. That boy was something else entirely.

And he knew just how to get under her skin.

"Now class," Madam Hooch said to the group of second years, "Step lightly. Watch the Heads as they properly demonstrate how to mount a broom."

Hermione decided that this was done as a punishment somehow. Either McGonagall didn't realize that they would be used by the flight instructor, or she somehow _forgot _Hermione's dreaded fear of flying. Hovering over the ground a few feet was one thing and she could manage that, but getting any higher would be out of her comfort zone and she refused to do it.

Why couldn't Ron or Harry do this demonstration instead of her, or even Ginny? People who actually _like _to have their feet leave the ground. There would be just as much friction between any of them and Malfoy, so if this really was an obscure punishment of sorts then at least someone would still be punished. But Hermione was pretty sure her stomach would fall out of her if she got higher than three feet.

And Malfoy would likely taunt her about this for the remainder of the day. She was not looking forward to this lesson.

If Madam Hooch didn't have a freak accident- accident being a stretch- just after the war then she could prefer this lesson. But with her leg condition she could barely walk, and flying wasn't prescribed by the Healer she was seeing, much to Hermione's disappointment. So here they were, about to make Malfoy look stellar and Hermione ridiculous.

"And mount your brooms," Madam Hooch said, looking at the Heads. The other students stood around the school-provided brooms, waiting to see the two students take to the air.

"Up," they said in unison, repeating the same pattern they did in first year, but now to the under-educated second years who missed quite a lot while being educated by inadequate teachers. They mounted their brooms in unison, Hermione doing her very best to ignore the blonde prat beside her, who was looking exceptionally bored. He played Quidditch for Merlin's sake! This was child's play.

They kicked off the ground, Malfoy hovering several meters above Hermione. She tried to ignore this as all eyes went to the blonde and she rolled her own, brushing a piece of her own hair out of her face.

"Now students, although the height Mr. Malfoy has reached isn't incredibly difficult, for your first few tries I want you remaining around the height Miss Granger is resting at now…"

The brunette zoned out, knowing that when they were needed again Madam Hooch would address them. Much to her annoyance, the blonde moved down and hovered beside her, smirking. Why her?

"Afraid of getting higher?" He mocked, relaxing on his broom.

"Shut up Malfoy, I don't believe I was talking to you. Besides, Madam Hooch just said-"

"She said that I was too high, but at least I'm not afraid of getting off the ground." He arched an eyebrow. "Don't be such a coward Granger."

"I am _not _a coward. I am human, and I fear something. It's logical."

"It would be logical to get over it," he replied, rolling his eyes. "You're barely three meters off the ground and you're complaining about being afraid? Merlin, you're pathetic."

"I am not." She shook her head, hating how she sounded like a whiny little kid.

She sounded too much like Malfoy.

"Buzz off," she said when he just stared at her, moving her broom away from his. She flew around lightly, never rising a hair above her current position. He shook his head at her.

When the class ended they dismounted and he made sure to get in her way on the way back to the castle. "I've never seen such a pathetic attempt at flying in my life. I think you might've just been better during first year after all."

"Would you leave me alone ferret boy?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him. He chuckled at that, but made no move to do as she asked.

"I thought you were an achiever Granger," he continued, marching along right beside her. "Today you surprised me. You're positively pathetic on a broom."

"And your lack of actual work leaves me to wonder how you ever became the Head Boy."

He shrugged, ignoring her stab at his ego. "Granger, I can do what you do in far less steps. While you do all the work and then some, take all the tests and pass with high marks, I do none of the homework and only ever the tests, still managing to score just as high as you do."

"Not quite Malfoy. You have yet to beat me in anything academically."

"I beat you in flying just now Granger. I could've done it drunk with my eyes closed for that matter."

"That's not an academic class Malfoy. It's physical work. That's different."

"And something you're terrible at. Just admit it Granger, you're never going to be as good as me in that respect. While your brain is full of knowledge, your body is full of clumsiness. You'd never be able to keep up in the real world. You're one sided."

She whirled around on him, eyes dark. "Excuse me!?"

"Admit it Granger, you can only succeed in an academic field. But something like Quidditch, rugby or anything else, and you fall short of even decent. You've never put forth an effort to try and be good at it."

Her eyes narrowed. "So what? Those things won't help me in the real world. They won't help anyone who isn't trying to be a professional in Quidditch- or rugby. I'm fairly surprised you know what that is."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I'm not prehistoric you know." He reached forward, flicking her nose before he stepped ahead of her. "Just accept it Granger! You're always going to be one-sided!"

Hermione froze where she stood, anger boiling. The nerve of that man! She knew he was only taunting her to get a rise from her, but the woman was slightly upset to admit that it was working.

She couldn't stand being bested at anything. Literally, anything. Despite herself, Hermione was indeed a competitive person. And sometimes, it got the best of her.

The woman stood a moment longer, tapping her foot in angry frustration before an idea started forming in her head. So he thought he was the best because he was well-rounded, aye? Well, she would show him!

She did have quite the collection of Quidditch loving friends, after all.

* * *

It was almost two months before anything about Hermione's lack of physical abilities came into the light again. Draco liked to taunt her over her inability to fly whenever the chance arose, and she always brushed him off with saucy comments, but never really fought back. It was becoming quite boring actually.

Then the note came. He knew who sent it from the beginning, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious. The note came at breakfast, arriving with the rest of the mail. Immediately he looked over at the brunette across the Great Hall, calmly eating her food and not bothering to glance his way. She probably did that just to prompt his curiosity.

The note was from Granger, he knew it. But why would someone who's afraid of heights want to meet on the Astronomy Tower? He shuddered at the location, knowing that more than a few people went up there to make out all the time. It would be awkward if they went up there and found a couple going at it, but even worse if she had called him up to participate in the make-out tradition up there.

He might just lose his mind if _that's _what she wanted. But something told him it was far from that. No, he had a feeling this woman wanted to dance back to the topic of flying, and he had a feeling she might actually kill herself in the process.

Draco wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

The note said to meet her tonight at midnight, and now he was positive this was Granger. They wouldn't be caught since they would be on patrols together tonight but usually finished early. He'd have to head right up there and arrive early to see what was going on.

Draco sipped his drink thoughtfully. Just what did Granger have up her sleeve?

* * *

Getting to the Astronomy tower was easy enough. He never even headed back to his common room, but instead went right up there. No one was around, and he did indeed beat Granger. Sitting around near the edge of the high tower, he waited for midnight to arrive. With it would come Granger, and then he could ask her all the questions dancing in his head.

He was getting antsy. What could she possibly want?

By the time she arrived he was beginning to get tired and cold. It was five minutes before midnight when she showed up, apparently planning something. He stood back when she didn't notice her, deciding to not yet make his presence known. She would know he was there soon enough after all anyway.

What was most surprising to him was that she had a broom with her. Now his mind was really cooking, wondering what that meant. If Granger couldn't hover more than a few feet off the ground a few weeks ago, then there was no way that she would fly off of the _Astronomy Tower. _And if she did, he was pretty sure she would end up dying. Actually, he was pretty damn positive about that.

He was also sure he'd be blamed for her sudden death. That wouldn't work for him either.

"How long do you plan on hiding back there?" she asked at length, startling him. He hadn't realized that she knew he was there, until she turned around and placed her hands on her hips, cocking an eyebrow.

Draco wouldn't let just anyone square off at him with that face. Straightening he stepped from the shadows and stood not four feet from her. "I received a little note from someone, and thought I'd come up here early and see what was going on. I figured you sent it."

"Good job," she replied, smiling softly. "Figured you could figure that part out."

"So why am I up here Granger?" he snapped, wearily eyeing the broom. "I don't see why you would call me up here if you're looking to get even. When people do that, don't they usually do it someplace they have the upper hand?"

"Whatever do you mean Malfoy?" she asked, shrugging innocently. Her tone was sickeningly sweet. He knew something was up just from the sound of it, if he hadn't already noticed that something was amiss.

"The Astronomy Tower," he snapped, indicating towards the edge. "You're afraid of heights, yet you brought me up here. This is some kind of sick joke isn't it?"

"Not at all," she replied, her tone eerily cool. He watched her flick her hand and bring the broom closer. It flew into her hand and he felt his gut clench. He wasn't entirely sure what she was up to.

At least she didn't bring him up there to make out. He could be thankful for that.

"You're going to fall off the bloody tower if you get any closer to the edge," he remarked, wearily watching her. If this was an act of suicide or something, then he didn't want to witness it. Even if she did manage to hop on the broom and kick off he was pretty sure her fear would kick in and she'd plummet to her death.

He didn't even have a broom. He couldn't save her if he wanted to.

"Are you sure?" she asked stopping at the edge. The wind picked up and tousled her brown locks, causing her hair to whip out in all directions. Now he was wondering if the wind would be the cause of her death. "Because… I'm not so sure."

"That you're going to die? Granger, this is a sick game. And you're going to end up killing yourself because of it."

Arching an eyebrow she mounted the broom, peering over her shoulder at him the entire time. He'd grown closer as they spoke despite himself, and now he could grab her if he saw fit. Hermione couldn't let that happen though, for she knew it would ruin everything.

"You have very little faith in my abilities Malfoy. I am not the brightest witch in school?"

"Bright, yes. Able to fly a broom? Hell no Granger. This is ridiculous! You're going to get killed and Potter and Weasley will spend the rest of their pathetic lives trying to kill me."

"I don't think they'd waste the time," she said, turning away from him. "You might be bright, but your cocky. Something simple could kill you."

She was preparing to kick off and Draco could feel his anxiety growing. He couldn't watch this! "Granger-"

He didn't finish as she kicked off, Instead he rushed forward to grab her, and nearly fell off the tower. Scrambling back from the edge, he looked around.

It was a cloudy night. But he couldn't see anyone moving against the breeze. His heart was practically in his throat as he came to a terrifying realization; she was dead.

And he let her die. He let her do something utterly and undeniably stupid.

But he did nothing to stop her. He stood back and hesitated too long. And now she was gone.

He closed his eyes and dropped his head to his hands. He could never forget this moment.

"Well, you're a bit bipolar. Weren't you just angry, squawking things at me about how I was destined to die if I went through with this?"

His head snapped up at that. The sound of her voice was terrifying, and at first he wondered if he was hallucinating. But no, there she was, hovering- _flying_- in the air. He could feel his eyes widening.

"Malfoy… don't stare like that. It's creepy. Get a grip."

He was completely nonplussed. Although she was legitimately alive in front of him, the blond remained stunned and quite. Hermione tilted her head to the side, watching him. The gaping expression on his face was almost comical.

"How… I thought…"

"You thought what?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "You thought I was too scared to fly? You thought you could mock me forever about my fears? Guess again Malfoy. If I can handle flying off the Astronomy Tower, then you better believe that I can best you whenever we have our next flying lesson with Madam Hooch. You're not the only one who can fly."

He stood on shaky legs, making his way over to the edge once more. She remained where she was, smiling at the dumbfounded man. "I don't get it. Not long ago you couldn't stand getting more than ten feet off the ground."

She shrugged. "Some of my very best friends are particularly spectacular flyers. They were elated when I told them I wanted to learn, and even more willing to help when I told them it was too get back at you."

Draco stared at her. "Merlin Granger. You could give a man a heart attack!"

The brunette chuckled at that, leaning forward on her broom to grab his chin. He quickly swatted her hand away. "Aw, Malfoy, don't be such a sore loser."

"What are you talking about?"

She extended her hand a second time, patting his head. "You're not the best anymore."

"At flying?!" His eyebrows were practically disappearing into his hairline. "You're not serious, are you Granger? Just because you overcame your blasted fear of flying doesn't mean that you're better than me in any way, shape or form. I can still do tricks that you could never dream of."

"Malfoy, is that a challenge? I'd be careful what I said if I was you. I did after all best you in the last challenge you gave me."

"That wasn't really a challenge." She only shrugged. "Besides, I'm not afraid of what you can do. I know I'm still the better flyer."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Completely Granger. I have Quidditch skills that took years to develop and perfect. You can't learn those sorts of things in a matter of weeks."

"You're positive about that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Look if you want to make a bet on it then fine, we can. But you're going to majorly lose."

"Don't bet on that yet Malfoy."

"But I am." He reached up and flicked her nose, causing the woman to draw her eyebrows together. "This time, there really is no competition."

She thought he was so arrogant, considering that she just faced a major fear of hers. "Whatever you say Malfoy. May the best student win."

He only laughed at that as he turned away, stepping back inside the tower. "You have it all wrong, dear Granger. It's may the best _competitor _win. And I'm the only competitor around here."

She smiled to herself as he walked away, shaking her head. He had absolutely no idea what he was in for.

* * *

**A/n:** Another silly story but this one was kind of fun to write! Leave a review if you could darlings! And hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
